If You Ask
by mywarisalreadywon
Summary: "If you ask almost anyone who knows Dean Winchester, they will tell you that he is anything but a failure. Each of the people who know him best will tell you that he is a success for one reason or another." Short one-shot about how others see Dean and how he sees himself.


**Again, I was sitting in class bored out of my mind when I decided to write this. On the upside of my personal life (if you don't care then the story is right down there) I got myself a boyfriend, finally, and he is amazingly sweet. He's such a gentleman and I just want all my lovely friends on here to know that. **

**Without further ado**

**Fresh from the desk of a twelfth grade nothing.**

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If you ask almost anyone who knows Dean Winchester, they will tell you that he is anything but a failure. Each of the people who know him best will tell you that he is a success for one reason or another. Whether or not it's a good reason is up to you to decide, but, hey, it's a free country and those people can think whatever they like.

If you ask Dean's father, John, he will say that Dean is a success because he's the perfect soldier. Dean never disobeys his father's orders and always does what is needed of him. If Dean gets a little withdrawn when someone asks about Sammy, well, it's been hard for him recently. If Dean likes to go out and get drunk and stays out all night on occasion, well, at least he's there when John needs him to be there.

If you ask Bobby Singer, Dean is a success because he can still feel emotions other than hatred and anger. In this business, after a few years, hunters lose themselves in those negative emotions unless they have something keeping them together. Dean had been in this game since he was around five, so Bobby was thankful when the boy survived 'til his twenties and could still laugh. Bobby made sure to tell the boy that he could always come by the scrap yard if he needed to so that Dean didn't fall apart, but he knew he wouldn't have to worry too much about the tough twenty-three year old.

If you ask Caleb Reaves, he'll tell you that Deuce is a success because he's still alive. Caleb's seen a lot of men die on the job and has heard about even more. Dean was thrown in so young that Caleb found himself praying to God that the kid wouldn't get killed. Caleb knew his brother-in-arms was one tough son of a bitch, but he still made sure to keep an ear out for Dean's name in hunting bars like the roadhouse. Caleb says that Dean's gonna die when he chooses to die because no monster is too tough for Deuce.

If you ask Pastor Jim Murphy, Dean is a success because he's such a good person and has a big heart, even if he still plays a tough guy. Jim knows that Dean is a little…rambunctious with his adventures involving women, but he also knows that most of those women know exactly what they're getting into with him. He knows that Dean might not be the most law abiding, but he's so kindhearted that he would stop to help an old lady get her cat out of a tree. He's selfless to the point of self-loathing (which Jim has discovered can't be fixed in him) and Dean always does what he thinks is right or best for him family. Jim just can't find fault in Dean for that.

If you ask Ellen Harvelle, she'll tell you that Dean is a success because he always puts family first. She doesn't know him personally, but she hears all about him from Caleb, Bobby, and Jim. Family will be there long after the hunt is done, and Ellen likes that Dean understands that. She likes that he realizes that more than John does. She knows John treats that boy like an attack dog and hopes Dean can figure out that he doesn't have to put up with it. She told Bobby to tell the boy that her door is always open for him, but he has to leave his daddy behind. (She can forgive him because he wasn't involved, but John can't fix what he's done to her family.)

If you ask Jo Harvelle, Dean is a success because he's such a good hunter. She's never met him, and her mama has warned her about Winchester men and how they'll break her heart, but she's heard about him from the other hunters that pass through. They speak his name with a sort of reverence. She's heard some of the things he's done on and off the job and she had to admit that she's impressed. If the other hunters are to be taken seriously, there doesn't seem to be a scrape Dean Winchester can't get out of. They tell her that there isn't a monster, creature, or officer of the law that can catch him and the monsters and creatures can't escape him when he comes for them. She'd never tell him, but she's kind of awestruck by his hunting prowess.

If you ask Dean's little brother, Sam, Dean isn't just a success. If you ask Sam, Dean is a superhero. Sam, who was practically _raised_ by Dean, never lost the hero worship most people have for their older siblings or parents. Sam knew that Dean would do anything and everything for his little brother. Dean was his protector and, although Sam said that he didn't need Dean to protect him, he loved knowing that Dean would always have his back. Sam knew that he didn't deserve to have such an awesome big brother, hell, he'd known that since he was ten, but he still swore that he'd rather go to his grave than lose Dean forever. He never answered Dean's calls because he knew that, if Dean called, he would willingly get back into that life just because Dean wanted him back. He couldn't deal with that, so he ignored the calls.

If you ask Dean Winchester himself, he would tell you that he isn't a success. If you use his father's reasoning, he'll say he was just working and his dad is his boss, so he's expected to do what he's told like every other employee in the world. If you use Bobby's reasoning, he'll tell you that he's throwing himself into dangerous hunts because his life is tearing him apart and he needs to keep himself busy, and he knows it unhealthy, but he's doing it because he _can't_ deal with his emotions. If you use Jim's reasoning, Dean will say that hustling people and screwing his way across the country don't exactly make him a good person no matter how many cats he saves. If you use Ellen's reasoning, he'll say that putting family first is what drove his little brother away on more than one occasion. If you use Jo's reasoning, he'll tell you that he's just doing his job and he doesn't deserve congratulations for doing what's expected of him. If you use Sam's reasoning against him, Dean will first go silent (the use of his little brother's name would stun him into silence) and then he would ask you a question.

If he thought so highly of me, why did he leave me behind?

Dean, although he loves hunting, _lives_ to take care of Sammy. Dean sometimes wished Sam had asked him to go to Stanford with him, if only to get Dean out of the life and away from Dad. If Sam had asked Dean to come, Dean wouldn't have been able to stay behind.

Dean Winchester sees himself as a failure. It's not because his father has always openly shown his affection for Sam, but never for Dean. It's not because people have always groaned about him but cooed over Sam. It's not because his home is a '67 Chevy Impala. It's not because he didn't graduate from high school or go to college. It's not because teachers hated having him in class but rejoiced at having Sam. It's not because his family constantly abuses his faith and trust in them. It's not because he knows that he can't have a normal life. Dean Winchester is a failure in his own eyes because he wasn't good enough for his family to stick around. Sam left for college and John left soon after. He considers himself a failure, because that's how he's been treated for as long as he can remember.

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**Well. That was depressing. Worked real hard on this though, so y'all should definitely review and tell me how I did on this. I wasn't so sure about Caleb's view, but I read a bunch of fics to get a feel for him. I definitely like the way other people are depicting him because Dean needs a best friend for when Sam is gone. Anyway, see ya next time!**


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